Talking Parrots

Macaws are beautiful, intelligent, and life long companions. They are sometimes called “winged rainbows”, which suits them perfectly! They are very colourful, and are one of the only parrots who add colour to mother nature. They are also one of the biggest.

Although they are wonderful pets, caring for them isn’t easy… and shouldn’t be taken lightly either!

Most websites on the internet will say that macaws live to be around 75 years old, but the average lifespan is actually 55. Many macaw owners make small mistakes that can cut their parrot’s life short. Another reason could be that not all owners were completely committed or aware of their pet’s long lifespan. They may have become bored over the years… which isn’t fair to the parrot! This is why it’s so important to really think about the future before buying a parrot — Are you planning on going to college?

Do you plan on having kids? Do you think you’ll be living in an apartment in the future? Do you want to travel a lot? Will your parrot out live you? If something ever happens to you, where would your parrot end up? These are some things to ask yourself before buying a macaw. They are a huge commitment and it’s important to realize that!

With a good diet and treatment from all members of your family, your macaw will be a very wonderful pet! It’s important that every family member takes the time to socialize with the macaw so that it doesn’t get territorial.

It’s also important that you search around for an avian vet. Most veterinarians aren’t skilled in taking care of these exotic birds.

When choosing a diet remember that your parrot needs more then just seeds. You should give him/her fruits and veggies (fresh, of course!) every day. Also, giving them part of your family’s dinner is always good. They enjoy chicken! They aren’t usually picky eaters, but if you find this to be a problem, then switch around what you feed him/her every day.

* You should be aware that some foods are toxic to macaws! Here is a list of some of these foods that you should NOT feed your macaw:

- Avocado (toxic to all birds)
- Fruit pits and seeds (remove before giving your macaw any fruits)
- Salt (use a mineral block instead of a salt block)
- Dairy Products (give in small pieces and not very often… it is hard for them to digest)

Remember that your macaw is a lifetime companion and with good treatment and care may live to be 75 years old

By Emiiu Lybe

http://parrottrainingguide.blogspot.com/

A talking parrot makes a wonderful pet. If you intend on purchasing a parrot and teach it to talk, it is best to do with a parrot that is about 2 months old. It is during the infancy stage that a parrot bonds well with its master. The requirement on your part is just patience. Like human babies, exposing baby parrots to words will instill in them an interest in talking. When exposed to words, baby parrots tend to recognize them fast even though they may not be ready to talk yet. But with your patience, they will be able to mimic words at the age of 4 months old.

Between 4 months to a year a parrot picks up words fast. It is during this time that you can really mould you bird into a talking parrot. They are most receptive before they are 1 year old. Beyond that, it may take a longer time to learn new words. So use this 1 year period to teach as many words as you can and discipline your bird to listen to your command. However, if you pick an older bird that has very little socializing with humans, you may end up with a parrot that may refuse to learn to talk at all. But that should not be a deterrent in keeping parrots if your desire is to keep parrots as pets. A parrot that talks is just a plus factor.

Male parrots are better talkers than female parrots, and more receptive too. However, it is almost impossible to tell the sexes of parrots apart before you purchase one. You may need to see a vet to determine that as a surgical procedure or a blood test is often required.

The best time to teach your parrot to talk is early in the morning or late in the evening. In the wild, birds are more active during these times and are at their noisiest as they gather to eat and squeak at each other. Take advantage of this natural phenomenon to entice your parrot to talk and utter new words.

As with training other animals, positive reinforcement by giving a reward works best. Identify your parrot’s favorite food and use it as a reward for getting the right word. When this is practiced continuously, your parrot will look forward to such training sessions and respond positively.

Switch off the TV, radio and try to remove all sound distractions such as wind-chimes and sounds from other pets in the house. Take charge of the situation and let the bird know that you are in command. Speak the word in a loud and clear voice and give a reasonable amount of pause before you repeat the word again. Use facial expressions or hand gestures to give more meaning to the word. Parrots that you see dancing on youtube videos is the result of their owners using action with words.

Learning the first word is usually the hardest. It gets easier over time until the parrot reaches an age when it just stops learning and you will know that the window learning period has closed. But again, it doesn’t mean that your parrot will not learn talking at all, as different parrots adapt differently.

Teaching a parrot to talk is lots of fun, especially when the parrot has built a vocabulary of words that are funny and cheeky. A talking parrot is always the life of the party and it also makes a great companion too as it has a very long lifespan.

By Taylor Crawford

Macaws are large, colorful birds native to Mexico, the Caribbean and South and Central America. They are distinguished by their black beaks and their facial feather pattern. This facial pattern is unique to each bird, much like a fingerprint. The variations of species range from small to impressively large. The Hyacinth Macaw is the longest and has the widest wingspan of any other parrot. Many of the species are now classified as endangered with some even having become extinct. Having this type of bird as a pet takes a great deal of thought and effort. In addition to choosing the right one from the many macaw cages, an owner must be willing to spend a significant amount of time with the bird.

The Macaw is very intelligent and needs a lot of stimulation in the form time and toys. Time is needed to train the bird. They have a knack for talking and can become very loud and boisterous if training is not given. Toys are also important to keep your pet occupied and busy. They especially need chew toys as they can become destructive if they do not have them. Toys should be a prominent part of any macaw cage. This is a very sociable bird. They can and do create bonds with their owners. Educated owners know how to get the most from their pet and in return they have a faithful friend for years to come.

Macaw cages come in a variety of sizes but none are small. There are also double macaw cages for multiple birds or when separation is necessary. Macaw cages need to be large. They also need to be secure. These are smart and strong birds. Macaw bird cages must have a secure latching system so that an escape does not happen. They should be stocked with a variety of perches and toys to maintain an adequate activity level when confined. The spacing of the bars should be form 1″ to 1.5″. This size allows the bird to grasp the bar but not be in danger of getting their beak stuck between them

Even though this type of bird may spend a great deal of time being handled, the choice of a Macaw bird cage is an important one. It is one of the many decisions to consider when planning to make a pet of this majestic avian. If you have the proper supplies and the time and energy to devote to it, being the owner of a Macaw will be a rich and fulfilling experience. Sometimes you may see macaw cages for sale, but a better plan would be to consult a knowledgeable dealer.

For more information on macaw cages, visit http://www.thebirdcagedepot.com.

By Patricia Marchand

Bird Comfort

The size of the cage, its bar spacing and thickness depends on the size of your parrot. A cage must be large enough to enable your pet to spread both its wings freely and hop around in the cage. Make room for toys and other stuff in your bird’s cage to enhance your bird’s environment. The larger the cage size, the better.

100% Safe

A locking mechanism should be present on entry doors and feeder doors, to prevent accidental escapes. Parrots are highly skillful in finding ways to get out. Quick Links (the-c-type links) can be used to prevent parrots, from escaping. Larger birds may require padlocks. Some cages provide locks not only on the door of the cage but also on the back of the dishes.

Easy to clean

The cage should have easy to clean, removable grids and litter trays with removable seed guards to avoid the mess outside the cage. You will need to consider a cage which has the hardest and strongest oven baked powder coating which will withstand the everyday repeating cleaning process.

Easy and safe to move

You will need to move your bird cage for cleaning and to custom your parrot to accept changes. For those reasons you need to make sure the wheels of your cage will not come off. Cages with small rubber/plastic type wheels very often come off after a week or so as the wheels cannot support the weight of the parrot cage.

Birds at Play

The cage should provide not just a secure home for the bird but also a great place for the parrot to play and to hang out Choose a parrot cage which offers a removable play top and a landing platform, so, there will be no need for you to buy and accommodate a separate play stand. The landing platform is very useful when you are trying to get your parrot back into its cage.

In our store http://www.24-7petsshop.com we offer a wide assortment of safe, high quality parrot cages, parrot stands, parrot toys, parrot food and parrot seeds, parrot treats, bird minerals and vitamins as well as gifts for yourself and your friends.

Birds need a wide range of natural food, you can find a list of natural food and their vitamin contents on our site: http://www.24-7petsshop.com/pages/Nutritious-Food-for-a-Healthy-Parrot.html